Morning journal and courier., 1887-08-11
BILLIARDS.
By No Means So Ancient a Game As Some Suppose.

By No Means So Ancient a Game As
 Some Suppose.
 Every now and then, says New York Times writer, it may be seen in print, as evil dence of the antiquity of billiards, that Gle opatra indulged in the game, that it is men toned in St. Augustine's "Confessions," etc. The first is based on a speech in Antony and Cleopatra, in which Charmian is invited by the Queen to retire to another room in the palace and play billiards. It is only one of Shakespeare's many anachronisms. Bill lizards, in it's early days in England confined by royal edict to the nobility, was one of the favorite amusements of the Elizabethan court, and Shakespeare put his speech into "Antony and Cleopatra" merely to please the "Virgin Queen" It is about twenty-one years since the St. Augustine story first saw cold type. It was in part our work, we are sorry to say. although we meant well. We were at the same time giving to the world a discovery made by ex-Judge Caton, of Hi nois, passionate billiard amateur, who had written his friend Michael Phelan that in a history of ancient Ireland it was stated that Cathire More, King of Munster, had in his possession 'fbilliard balls of brass," etc. The venerable judge was living few years ago, and if still alive he promises to be- come a centenarian. The St.. Augustine at that time publishing the Metropolitan Record It had come to him from his rev erence, John McCloskey, then archbishop, afterward cardinal It may be mentioned that the residence of the archbishop con- tained a billiard table in the time of Rev. John Hughes, and that the table remained in it's place when, at his death, he was succeed ed by the late cardinal. Although it is doubtful if either dignitary ever pointed cue at ball, save as an experiment, yet it IS cer- tain that some of their priests made good use of the table; and of the number was one who is now bishop. Archbishop McClos- key had fallen upon an unaccustomed trans lation of the Confessions, {" and he commu. nicated to MT. Mullaly discovery he had made. Thinking it historically valuable, we copied it into book of manuscripts, and this volume, long out of sight, has just turned up to enable us to reproduce the pas sage, and possibly check the progress of an correction made month or so after its original publications: ''It happened, therefore, upon a certain day when Nebridius was absent, know no' upon what occasion, there came to our house to me and Alipius, Pontilianus, country, man of ours, inasmuch as he was an African who had honorable employment in the emPe' TOTS court. know not what his business was, but we sat down to talk together; ano ! it chanced that he took notice of 8 book that was lying upon billiard table. And ht ! took it up and opened it, and found it to bt 1 the Epistles of St. Paul."-[St: Augustine' Confessions" chapter vii, book VIII.
 Having suspicion as to the origin o1 l "billiard table, in the foregoing, the arch bishop at his leisure investigated the matter ! and found that, in this instance at least, b1i lizards owed it's antiquity wholly to- an erro | in translation.
 | Billie is ball, and that tells the story While there is no reason to question that tn \ Irish king had ''balls of brass" there is noth